Blackwood Mountain
by UntilDawnClimbingClass
Summary: Based off of the movie Brokeback Mountain. A story in which Chris takes a job on Blackwood Mountain in order to make money to support him and his fiancée, Ashley. Then he meets Josh Washington, and everything he thought he knew about the world-and himself-changes... A more detailed and better summary inside. Josh/Chris, Chris/Ashley, Josh/Sam, Josh/Mike, Chris/OFC'S, Josh/OMC'S
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

 **Based off of the movie Brokeback Mountain.**

 **Chris' mother told him it was a chance to meet new people and make new friends.**

 **His father said it was a chance for him to prove his worth.**

 **And Chris just thought this was a chance for him to make some money before his wedding to his longtime sweetheart.**

 **But after meeting Josh Washington, everything he thought he knew about the world–and himself–changes. And the events that occur on Blackwood Mountain between them will change both their lives forever, in a way they both never expected…**

 **Note: You do not need to watch the movie in order to understand this. Please be aware of the warnings before continuing on. Possible spoilers for the movie**.

 **Pairing(s): Chris/Josh Washington, Ashley/Chris, Josh/Sam, Mike/Josh, Chris/OFC'S, Josh/OMC'S**

 **Warnings/Tags: Possible Happy Ending, Possible Tragic Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, Period-Typical Homophobia, Violence, Murder, Explicit Sexual Content, Anal Sex, Falling In Love, Recreational Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Child Abuse, Brokeback Mountain AU, Explicit Language, Major Character Injury, Major Character Death, Major Angst, Gay Bashing, Gay Sex, Rough Sex, Secret Relationship, Sexually Confused Chris, 20 Years Over Time, Slow Burn (In a way), Romance, Closeted Chris, Denial of Feelings, Denial of Sexuality, Alternate Universe—1960's-1980's.**

 **A/N: Hello!**

 **This was requested by a Tumblr user, and I've decided to write it for her :) Some of you may know my blog or even follow me on there (UntilDawnClimbingClass-same as here)**

 **Please note that this story WILL feature some quotes/moments from the movie that are either my favorite or just belong here. However, this will not 100% follow the movie. If you've never seen BBM and want to, I may suggest watching it before reading this, just in case of any spoilers. If you have seen it, I hope you don't mind some of the changes that will occur in this story. I don't want to completely copy the movie, but I would like to add some stuff from it.**

 **So far the only major changes I've made are how Chris and Josh (Ennis and Jack) meet, and you might notice that I setup the mountain differently...If that makes any sense. I don't really know how to explain it. Basically I took away the ski lift and added in a ranch.**

 **This story will probably be fairly long, so I hope you all will stick with me. I can't promise when I can update, but it's not going to take me a month to post a new chapter (at least I sincerely hope not.)**

 **This story is also posted on AO3**

 **Thank you!**

CHAPTER 1-PROLOGUE

"Grandma?"

The old woman's fingers froze over the picture she was stroking and she glanced up at her young granddaughter.

"Yes, Anna?" She blinked back the tears in her eyes, not wanting the little girl to see her cry. "What is it, sweetheart?"

Anna stepped into the bedroom and glanced at the picture in her grandmother's hand.

"Nothing," she said with a small shrug, "I just wanted to see what you were doing."

The old woman, whose name was Emma, smiled at the ten year old and motioned for Anna to come over to her. Anna practically ran into her grandmother's arms, nearly knocking the old woman over onto the floor where she sat up against the bed. Her bones liked to protest against her sitting on the hard wooden floor, but luckily she wasn't so old that she needed help getting up. Though, give her a few more years and that would probably no longer be true.

"Careful, Anna!" Emma laughed, hugging the little girl close to her. "Grandma's not as young as she used to be."

"It's hard to picture you _ever_ being young."

Emma snorted. "Gee, thanks."

"What are you looking at?" Anna looked at the picture. There were two men in it, one with slightly dark skin and black curly hair. He seemed to be looking down at something and there was the hint of a smile on his face while his eyes were closed. The other man had glasses and blond hair. One arm was wrapped around the other man's chest and he was staring at him, not exactly smiling but he looked…content.

"Who are those men?" Anna asked. "Why are they so close together like that?"

Emma sighed and stared at the picture for a moment before answering, carefully, "Those are your great-grandfathers."

"Great-grandfather's?" The little girl's eyebrows furrowed. "But, grandma, the one with the curly hair isn't my other grandpa's dad," she said, referring to her grandfather and great-grandfather on her father's side of the family.

"No, honey, he isn't. But you recognize my daddy, don't you? You saw him a couple times before he passed away."

Anna's eyes widened and she stared down at the blond in shock. "That's Grandpa Chris?"

"Sure is, honey." Emma couldn't help but smile at the bewildered look on her granddaughter's face. "Even grandpa Chris was young at one point, too."

"So…who's the man he's holding?"

This would be the most difficult part to explain. Not that Emma was ashamed to tell anyone anymore. Far from it. Maybe at one point explaining the relationship between her father and Josh Washington had been…difficult for her, but that was when she still young and stupid and not as mature as she had thought she'd been at the time.

Like telling her fiancée that her father was queer. The words had rushed out of her mouth, harsh words that she wishes she could take back because at the time she thought this man she loved would be like most people and would be disgusted and angry at the thought of two men being together. She told him how ashamed she was of her father and this relationship he had with this man, had called her own daddy names that she'd like to slap herself for. But the only thing that had disgusted her fiancée was the way she talked about her father.

 _"_ _Being queer ain't an issue to me," he had told her. "Maybe it ain't natural. I don't know. But I don't care if your daddy is one of them. You shouldn't, either."_

And if that hadn't pulled her head out of her own ass…

Not to say that it was easy after that, but she had given Josh more of a chance. Hell, she'd even come to love the guy. And now here she was, many years later, and she was proud to tell her granddaughter about her daddy and his man. Anna was ten, and Emma knows she should have talked about Josh a lot sooner, but in truth she had wanted to wait until Anna was a little older so the girl could understand it all better. But things never did go as planned, and maybe now was as good a time as any.

"That's his partner, sweetheart," Emma said, looking at Anna to see what the little girl's reaction would be.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "So…that man is like what daddy is to mommy?"

"Exactly."

"But they're both men…" Anna knew that there were men who loved other men out there, and women who loved other women. She was ten, but she wasn't completely clueless. She even knew the bad names people called them.

 _"_ _Fucking faggots!"_ She remembers hearing one man shout at two teenage boys when her daddy had taken her to get ice cream one night. _"Fucking freaks!"_

Her daddy had sat her down later that night and explained to her that being gay wasn't something anyone should be ashamed of. You couldn't help who you fall in love with, and it shouldn't matter, regardless of gender. But there were many people out there who thought differently.

He never took her back to that ice cream parlor again.

She didn't really have an opinion on gay people one way or the other. She didn't entirely understand the whole thing. It was confusing, the people who said being gay wasn't any big deal and the people who were completely against it. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. And she certainly never expected her great-grandpa to be gay…

"I know your daddy's already talked to you about this," Emma replied gently, knowing the memory her granddaughter was thinking about. "Anna, it doesn't matter if two men or two women love one another. It doesn't make them any different or any less human. And believe it or not, being gay is much more accepted now than it was back then."

"Really?"

"Yes. Back when Grandpa Chris met Grandpa Josh, way back when they were young men, being gay was considered taboo–which means that it was considered unnatural and forbidden. A lot of people didn't want to associate with gay people or even talk about them. And if men were outed for being gay, a lot of times they were beaten or even killed for it–especially where I came from." Emma didn't see any reason to sugarcoat it, though maybe she should have. Anna was still young, after all…

"That's horrible!" Anna gasped. "Did that…did that happen to Grandpa Chris? Or…Grandpa Josh?"

Emma wanted to smile at the fact that her granddaughter was referring to Josh as "grandpa," but the memory of what happened all those years ago made her chest tighten painfully.

"Yes, Anna," Emma sighed softly, lump forming in her throat, "it is."

The little girl buried her face in her grandmother's neck and Emma was thankful for it, as one tear slipped down her cheek. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Is that how he died?" Anna whispered. "Is that why Grandpa Chris looked sad sometimes?"

Emma was quiet for a moment. Then she gently pulled Anna back to look at her.

"Do you want to hear the story of Grandpa Chris and Grandpa Josh, Anna?"

The little girl nodded eagerly.

"All right, then," Emma smiled slightly, setting the picture down so she could pull Anna onto her lap. "It all started on Blackwood Mountain, way back in 1963…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Alberta, Canada 1963_

"You gonna wipe that scowl off your face any time soon?"

Chris Johnson lifted up his head from where the side of it had been resting on his knuckles and glanced at Sam, who looked a little too amused.

"Who's scowling?" He yawned, taking off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes while trying to watch the road. He'd been driving for hours and was exhausted. Getting up at 5 AM to help his father with anything else that needed to be done around the ranch while he was still around hadn't helped, either.

"You are. You know you could have turned the job down, right?" Sam reminded him for the fifth time today.

He chuckled. "And listen to my father for the next five months telling me what a worthless piece of shit I am and how I'm not a real man? No, thanks. Besides, I need the money. Can't support me and Ash if I'm broke."

"Doesn't your dad pay you for helping him with the ranch?"

"Not enough to live off of, Sam. And he stopped paying me as much as he used to." Chris shifted in his seat, slightly uncomfortable. He never liked talking about money with his friends. They all had much more money than his family ever had. They could afford nice clothes and new cars. All he had at home was exactly three pairs of jeans, four shirts, one pair of boots and his pickup truck that was slowly falling apart. He could only fix the damn thing so many times before it gave out completely. He'd need a new one eventually, but right now all his money was going towards building a life and home for him and Ashley.

Sam frowned. "What'd he do that for?"

"I don't know." Chris shrugged. "Just to be a bastard, I guess."

She cursed under her breath and shook her head. "Well, at least Ashley's parents are gonna buy you two an apartment, right?" She did her best to keep her voice cheerful.

"Yup. Money that Ash and I are gonna have to pay back. Add that on top of bills and any other shit we need..." He didn't finish his sentence and he didn't have to. Sam understood.

"Well..." She struggled to find something to say. "It's a good thing you took this job then."

And yeah, in reality it was probably a smart move on his part, but he couldn't deny that he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Yeah, he needed the money badly. He was getting married at the end of November, only five months away. Taking the job on Blackwood Mountain would give him a chance to get away from his asshole of a dad. And, in all honesty, it would give him the chance to take a breather from Ashley.

Not that he didn't love her. Far from it. She was everything he's ever wanted and more. Been with her since he was sixteen. But lately every conversation they've had has been about either the wedding, money, or reminding him that they had to pay back her parents. She'd go on about one of those topics (or all three, if she was in a bad mood and he was just unlucky), and all he could do was nod and agree with her.

 _Yes, I know the wedding's coming up soon. Yes, I know I need to make more money for us. Yes, I know we need to pay back your parents._

It was becoming too much for him. He needed a vacation from it all...even though this wasn't like any "vacation" he would have chosen.

For the most part, he had taken this job because his father had pressured him into it. He could have gotten a decent job in town, but his father had heard about _this_ job from Sam's parents (she was apparently good friends with the owner's son). Had wanted him to take _this_ job.

 _"You wanna be a real man, Christopher?" His father had snarled. "Then you gotta go out on your own like a real man and make some damn money. I'm sick of you expecting me to pay you for every little damn thing you do around this place. This is your home, too, boy. Should be doing this shit for free."_

His mother had a different approach. _"You need to go out and meet some new people, honey. This is your chance. And it'll get your father off both our backs."_ She had smiled at him then, sweetly, but he could see the pleading in her eyes.

So that was that.

He packed his bags, had Sam drive up with him since she knew where the place was and he didn't, and left for Blackwood Mountain.

 _Three months with a bunch of strangers. Can't wait._ He shook his head and sighed. _Too late to do anything about it now._

"Make the turn here," Sam instructed him. "Their place is right up this hill."

Chris grunted in acknowledgement and made the turn, driving slowly and carefully up the hill for a few minutes before the lodge finally came into view. He pulled his truck up right next to another one that looked like it had been through more hell than his has, and he turned the truck off. He sat there in his seat for a moment, staring down at his hands that were clenched around the steering wheel.

 _Don't be a fucking baby about this, Christopher,_ he mentally snapped at himself. You're a big boy now-a man. _You can handle working for three months on someone else's ranch._

"Chris?" Sam interrupted his thoughts.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah...I'm coming." He opened the door and stepped out of the truck, grabbing his small bag of belongings. Not like he had much to bring with him.

"Let's go, cowboy," Sam winked at him over the hood of the truck.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Josh Washington sat on the steps of his parents lodge, smoking a cigarette. In truth, this was his third cigarette in the last half hour. He wasn't ready to go inside and face his parents. Hasn't seen them in a year since his sisters died. Melinda and Bob Washington had blamed their son for it, and after only two weeks Josh up and left without a word.

But he was back now, because he had nowhere else to go at the moment. And _shit_ , did he need money. Doing the occasional odd jobs in town back in Wyoming just wasn't doing it for him anymore. So, swallowing down his pride, Josh had called his parents (and was all too fucking grateful when it was his mother who had answered), and asked if he could come back home until the end of the summer. Melinda hadn't been pleased about hearing from her son after an entire year without any contact from him. She clearly held a grudge against him for leaving, which Josh found fucking hilarious because he only left because of them...and what happened to Hannah and Beth.

 _"You can stay here until the end of the summer, Joshua," she had finally conceded. "But your father's gonna expect you to help with the ranch. The last boy we had quit."_

 _ **What a shocker.**_ _"That's fine, ma. I need the money."_

 _"And Samantha is bringing up a friend of hers who's also going to be working on the ranch for the summer, so your pay isn't going to be too great. You have to split the money with him."_

 _ **Fantastic**_. _"Yeah. Sure, ma."_

 _"I expect you to get along with him, Joshua. If he quits because of your behavior-"_

 _ **What am I, a fucking child?**_ _"Don't worry about it. I'll treat him with all the respect he deserves." He couldn't help the sarcasm that slipped through, and it didn't go unnoticed by his mother._

 _"I'm serious, Joshua. Your father and I won't stand for it. Not this time," Melinda replied in a clipped tone._

 _Josh stiffened. "Why do you always have to bring that up?"_

 _"Why? You really want to go there, Josh?"_

 _"Never mind," he said in a hard voice. "I'll be there in a week." Then he hung up the phone._

Something painful and hot touched his fingers. The cigarette he had been smoking had burned down while he was lost in his own thoughts.

"Shit!" He hissed, quickly flicking the cigarette away. He rubbed his hand on his jeans, as if that would make the pain go away, before inspecting his finger. The skin was red and no doubt it would leave a blister, but he was used to that. Working on the ranch since he was a kid had given him plenty of blisters and other injuries.

The sound of an engine caught his attention and he looked up to see a small green pickup truck pull up right next to his own shitty one.

 _Must be Sam and the new guy,_ he thought, a smile forming on his face as he watched his best friend get out of the truck.

Christ, he hasn't seen Sam in a year, too. He talked to her on the phone every couple of weeks or so, but he never came back to visit her. He sure as hell never invited her to come visit him. Not where he was living- _had_ been living.

"Sam fuckin' Nelson!" Josh laughed, standing up.

Sam jumped, startled, not even noticing Josh had been sitting there. Then she grinned wide and dropped her bag, running to Josh like she was a child greeting their parent. She didn't give a shit. She hasn't seen Josh in an entire year, so excuse her for being a little excited to see her best friend.

Josh met her halfway and, with a laugh, took her into his arms and lifted her off the ground, twirling her around. He gave her a kiss on the side of her head before setting her back down on her feet, pulling away to look at her face but still kept both his hands on her waist.

"Look at you," he smiled. "You look great."

She sniffed and wiped away the wetness in her eyes. "So do you! God, Josh, I can't believe it's been a whole year."

Josh felt guilt wash over him. He knew how hard it had been for her to lose Beth. Losing him too must have killed her. Fuck. He was an asshole for leaving her alone...

Josh's eyes moved past Sam and focused on the man standing only a few feet away from them, leaning up against his truck with his hands shoved in his jean pockets. He wore a white button up that was tucked into his jeans and a tan cowboy hat on his head. The guy was looking down at the ground awkwardly, trying to give Josh and Sam some privacy.

 _Guess she wasn't so alone after all,_ Josh thought, studying the guy for a moment longer. Right as he was about to look away, the guy glanced up and met Josh's eyes.

 _Holy shit. He's..._

Their eyes were locked on one another for a moment. Josh could tell the guy was silently taking in Josh's appearance, and he could see the blush forming on the other man's face. He felt disappointed when the guy quickly looked away.

Sam caught Josh staring and smiled. She turned around and motioned for the guy to come over and join them. The guy looked reluctant to do so, but then he pushed himself off his truck before making his way over to them, hands still stuffed in his pockets and eyes focused on the ground.

"Josh, this is Chris Johnson, my friend's fiancée and also a good friend of mine," Sam introduced them. "Chris, this is Josh Washington, my best friend from high school."

Chris took off his hat and held it against his chest. "Good to meet you."

 _Well, hello, Cochise_ , Josh thought to himself.

Christ, the guy-Chris-looked even better up close. Dirty blond hair that was in a faux-hawk style and the bluest eyes Josh has ever seen. He was one of the _best_ looking guys Josh has ever seen. And he got to spend an entire summer with him-

 _Wait, did Sam call him her friend's fiancée? Damn it._

He felt the disappointment settle inside of him, though he guesses he shouldn't have been so damn hopeful. Hardly any man around here was queer, and if they were they kept it to themselves. That's just how it was. You either kept it well hidden or you got the shit beat out of you for it.

As for himself...He didn't hide it as well as he should have. He didn't go advertising it, but if he saw a guy he liked, he took the chance. Cautiously, though-he wasn't a complete dumbass. He knew how far to push without letting on too much.

Josh knew that it couldn't last forever. At some point he was gonna have to marry some pretty girl and have children. That's also just how it was. His parents had made that quite clear.

Sam nudged him, snapping Josh out of his thoughts. It took him a second to realize that he hasn't answered yet.

"Uh, good to meet you, too." Josh reached out and shook Chris's hand before awkwardly dropping it back to his side.

Chris nodded and looked away again.

 _Must not be too good with people_. Josh cleared his throat. "You ever worked on a ranch before?"

The blond's eyes snapped back to Josh's and he gave a small nod. "My parents own a ranch."

"You got a ranch of your own? Well, then why are you here?" Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chris gave a small shrug. "Needed the money."

 _Don't we all, Cochise, don't we all._

"Well, can't fault a man for that," Josh chuckled. He noticed Sam's bag was still by the truck where she had dropped it and he jogged over to it, picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Josh, I can take that," Sam protested, reaching out to grab her bag.

Josh playfully pushed her hand away. "I got it, Sammy. You're the guest, after all. All summer," he teased her, knowing damn well she wasn't staying that long.

"One night," Sam snorted. "I'm driving Chris' truck back tomorrow first thing in the morning."

Josh placed a hand over his heart and said, dramatically, "Well, gee, Sam, thank you for at least gracing us with your presence for one night."

She rolled her eyes and swatted his arm.

"Hey, you, uh, mind if I head on inside and use your phone?" Chris interrupted. "I gotta call Ash."

"The fiancée, huh?" Josh forced a grin.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, go for it. In fact, we should all just go in. It's getting too damn hot out here."

Sam wiped away the sweat on her forehead. "Sure is. I need some water."

Josh looked at Chris and smirked, nodding towards the lodge.

"Lead the way, Cochise," he said with a wink. "And welcome to Blackwood Mountain."


	3. Chapter 3

The Washington's home was bigger than Chris could have imagined.

 _How the hell could they have afforded all this?_ He thought to himself as he stared at the huge space around him in awe. Why would they have a ranch if they got plenty of money?

"Close your mouth, Chris," Sam teased him finding the expression on his face quite amusing. "You don't want to catch flies"

Embarrassed, Chris snapped his mouth closed.

Josh chuckled and set Sam's bag down. "Impressive, huh?"

Chris nodded and then asked, carefully, "So your family is rich then?"

"Not at all," Josh scoffed. "This place has been in my family for years. Luckily my father was the one to get it. This place is the only decent thing we've got."

Before Chris could reply, a hard feminine voice came from up the stairs. He looked and saw who he assumed was Josh's mom, considering they looked pretty much exactly alike. The only difference seemed to be that her hair was long and wavy.

"Joshua, is that you?"

Chris didn't miss the look of nervousness and annoyance cross over Josh's face.

"Yeah, ma," Josh sighed. "And I've got company."

"Oh-hold on, let me get your father." The woman retreated back to wherever she came from.

"Great," Josh grumbled, scratching the back of his head nervously. Chris could tell that Josh had some kind of problem with his parents.

 _At least that's one thing we have in common,_ the blond thought.

Sam comfortingly put an arm on Josh's shoulder and he shot her a grateful look. They waited in silence for a minute, before Josh's parents came downstairs.

"Joshua," Bob Washington greeted stiffly.

Chris noticed that the father and son looked nothing alike. Where Josh had dark hair, Bob's was greying a considerable amount. Where Josh's brown eyes were warm and filled with light (why the hell was he noticing Josh's eyes?), Bob's blue ones were cold and almost lifeless. They didn't look similar in the face, either. Josh looked more like his mother.

"Dad," Josh muttered, not meeting his father's eyes.

"Are you gonna look at me like a man, or stare down at the floor like a boy?"

Josh clenched his jaw and met his father's eyes. The anger and distaste in the older man's eyes was all too clear. His father has always been a bastard, but there was still a time when Bob had actually cared about his son. Now his father couldn't stand the sight of him. If the man could go back in time and have Josh switch places with his sisters, he surely would.

"How's Wyoming?" Bob asked, a sneer in his tone.

Josh shrugged, suddenly looking even more uncomfortable than he already did. "Fine, I guess."

"You guess."

There was judgement in Bob's eyes that made Josh flinch. Like his father knew what he was really doing in Wyoming. And with the incident with the boy who used to help run the ranch with the Washington family, Josh could only imagine what his father was thinking.

Chris spoke up then, feeling his own discomfort.

"Uh, hello, sir," he said, extending his hand towards the older man. "I'm Chris Johnson. I'm here about the job-"

"I know who you are," Bob said coolly. He didn't shake Chris' hand, and the blond pulled back awkwardly.

"Right..." Chris glanced at Sam for help, but she was looking at Josh. "Uh, well...what do you want me to do? When should I start?"

"Bright and early tomorrow morning. Josh will show you how we do things around here. Until then, he'll show you to your room." With that, Bob gave a nod to Sam and turned around and left. Everyone remained quiet until he was up the stairs and out of earshot.

Melinda cleared her throat. "Samantha, are you staying the night?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it is," Melinda waved her off. "You can stay in Hannah's room."

Sam bit her lip and gave a hesitant nod.

"Well, that settles it," Melinda clapped her hands together. "Christopher, I'm sure you're exhausted after that long ride. Joshua, show him his room. Nancy will have dinner ready for us in a few hours."

Josh nudged Chris. "C'mon, Cochise." Without waiting for a reply, he began to walk away. Chris stood there for a moment, staring after Josh, before he sighed and began to follow him.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Why do you call me that?"

Josh's hand paused on the doorknob and glanced at Chris. "What, Cochise?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know." Josh shrugged. "It just came to me."

Chris raised his eyebrows. "All the names you could call me, and Cochise is the one you thought of?"

The other boy smirked. "You want me to call you something else?"

"You can just call me by my name," Chris suggested. Though, he didn't actually mind the nickname.

Josh thought about this for a second.

"Nah," he finally said. He turned away from Chris and opened the door to the bedroom. "Well, here's your new room." He leaned against the doorframe and jerked his head towards the bedroom. "You gonna go in or what?"

Chris went into the bedroom and gaped.

This room was twice as big as his small one at home. The bed was fairly big, with a brown comforter and two fluffy white pillows. There was one nightstand on each side of the bed, one with a lamp and a phone and the other bare for him to put his picture of Ashley.

"Nice, huh?" Came Josh's voice.

Chris nodded.

Josh stepped closer to Chris, hands shoved in his pockets. "You know, my father's a real bastard."

 _I noticed_ , Chris wanted to say. But he didn't.

"So is mine," he shrugged, turning around to face the other boy. "I'm used to this."

Josh grimaced. "You sure you wanna spend an entire summer with us?"

 _No_. "I need the money."

"Desperate times?"

"I'm getting married at the end of November."

"Oh, right. Sam mentioned that." There was a look that flashed on Josh's face that Chris couldn't quite place. "What's her name?"

"Ashley."

"You love her?"

It was an odd question, and Chris was taken aback.

"Uh, of course I do." I'm marrying her, aren't I?

Josh gave him a half-smile. "Fair enough."

They stood there for a moment in awkward silence.

"So, uh..." Chris racked his brain for something to say. "You got anyone?"

The smile fell from Josh's face.

"No," he said flatly, "I don't."

"Oh." There was obviously more to it than that, but Chris wasn't gonna push.

Josh suddenly looked like he was more than ready to get out of there.

"I'll be downstairs with Sam," he told Chris, starting to back out of the room. "Holler if you need anything."

Chris nodded. As soon as Josh left the room, he sighed and collapsed on his bed, his hat on his chest. He supposed he should call Ashley. She hadn't taken the trip with him because she hadn't wanted to spend the night like Sam was. But she had demanded he call her as soon as he got in.

Groaning, he forced himself to sit up and reached over to grab the phone, dialing her number. The relief he felt when he heard her voice was almost embarrassing.

"Hello?" Her voice was cheery.

Chris couldn't help but smile. "It's me, Ash. I made it here safely."

"Chris! Oh, good. I was starting to get worried." She gave a small laugh. "How is it? Do you like what you see so far?"

"It could be worse."

"Are they nice people?"

"Bob Washington is a bit of an asshole, and his wife doesn't seem too nice, either. But their son seems okay. He and Sam are best friends, so..."

"So maybe you'll make a new friend."

Chris sighed. He was starting to really dislike that. _Maybe you'll make a new friend_. Like he was twelve years old and not nineteen, a grown man.

But he wasn't going to say that to her.

"Yeah, maybe," he agreed.

"I miss you."

His jaw clenched slightly. "I miss you more."

"I have to go. Daddy wants me for something. Call me every night, okay?" She said, voice starting to shake.

Chris swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I will, Ash. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye." She hung up. Chris sat there with the phone still pressed against his ear. The conversation hadn't lasted as long as he had wanted it to. It was funny-he wanted some time apart from her, yet now he just wanted to be back home, lay outside and watch the stars like they used to do.

 _God, I'm such a girl_ , he internally groaned. _Man up, Christopher._

He snorted and kicked off his boots. Right now all he needed was some damn rest, considering he'll be working all day every day for the rest of the summer.

At least there was Josh. He knew nothing about the guy, but he seemed fine. Maybe they could be friends. Then he wouldn't feel so alone, and it might make the summer go by faster.

Yet, at the same time, there was something off about Josh. There was a double meaning behind Bob's words when he asked his son about Wyoming, and Josh had shut down the minute Chris asked him if he had anyone back in Wyoming. Chris wasn't sure what it meant, but obviously it was an issue that he shouldn't bring back up again.

 _Probably just a bad breakup or something_ , he thought to himself as he settled down on the bed. The pillow was nice and soft and the mattress was comfy. His bed back at home had so many lumps in it that it always took him almost ten minutes just to find a way to get comfortable.

 _Ain't really home anymore. This is my home for the summer._

And little did he know what an eventful summer it was going to be.


End file.
